Amelia is a History graduate from University College London and a Law student at the University of Law. She secured a Trainee Solicitor at Clifford Chance in London through Bright Network. 
First, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
“I've decided to pursue a career in commercial law because it provides opportunities to work across different industries and business areas as a trainee before specialising.
My interest in the commercial world has come from studying subjects like economics at school and history at university. Economic history was an area I enjoyed learning about, as I like seeing how businesses and markets reacted to historical events and developed. I really enjoyed the research element of studying history, and being a lawyer involves research and then applying knowledge to solving issues and helping a client create a strategy.
The switch from studying history to law is one I have enjoyed because of the problem-solving aspect of the law conversion course. It has been quite a different learning style, but it's been great to learn about various areas of law and to start understanding legal principles.”
What motivated you to apply for your role?
“I wanted to train at a full-service law firm with a large trainee cohort and the opportunity to work on challenging deals with some of the top lawyers in their respective fields and Clifford Chance offered all of these features and more.
A full-service firm was important to me in making the most of my training period and trying different types of commercial law work. A large trainee cohort provides an opportunity to build a supportive network.
Then, the stellar reputation that Clifford Chance has across its different practice areas, the welcoming environment I felt at the various events I attended and the people I connected with made the firm my top choice.”
What was the application process like?
“The application process was challenging, taking advantage of the different tools and sources of information available to me helped make the process much smoother. In my second year of applying, I attended as many events as possible to learn more about the legal industry, different law firms and how to stand out in an application.
I had struggled with making my applications specific to each law firm, so meeting different firms numerous times, at Bright Network events and at events held at each firm, gave me a much deeper level of insight into each firm’s culture and what made them different.
Researching online was a good place to start, but the insights gained from events, conversations with current employees and completing online internships helped to make my applications more specific.”
How did Bright Network help you secure your role?
“I attended multiple events with Bright Network to learn more about commercial law, different firms and the role of a trainee.
I met representatives from Clifford Chance for the first time at the Bright Network Festival in 2023. The event had plenty of time to meet different firms, and there were great talks on the future of legal careers, legal technology and how to stand out in an application.
I heard Clifford Chance partners talk about their experiences and got to learn more about the firm through these talks. At Festival, I learned about the events Clifford Chance hosted to help prospective applicants and I applied to attend as many as possible. In particular, attending the ACCEPT conference was an incredible experience and helped my Training Contract application.”
How did you prepare for your application?
“I was quite nervous before starting my application, particularly when it came to getting through the initial application stage and passing the Watson Glaser test. These were challenges that I had failed to overcome in my previous application cycle, and I was determined to learn from my mistakes.
For the Watson Glaser test, which many law firms use in their applications, I used YouTube to find videos that broke down different questions and explained the examples in detail, which helped me change my mindset for the test. I dedicated more time to learning about the firm, attending events, and identifying the core qualities they looked for in an application. If you are unable to attend in-person events, there are plenty held online, which are incredibly informative.
I also recommend looking at the Forage virtual internships. There are hundreds to choose from, and Clifford Chance has plenty of options to help you learn more about the firm and different practice areas. I also asked more questions and contacted people independently on LinkedIn to learn about their experiences and insights. This was incredibly daunting at first, but soon, you realise that plenty of people are happy to answer a few questions or provide their insight.”
What are you most proud of about your journey?
“Applying for graduate roles can be stressful, and the rejection you will likely face at different points in the process makes it easy to become discouraged.
I achieved my Training Contract in my second year of applications, and I am proud of having the motivation to persevere after a year of rejections.
Reflecting on unsuccessful past applications and learning from them is essential. Practice does make perfect in this case, and perseverance is so important to help push through and achieve the role you've been dreaming of.”
What have you learned from going through the process?
“I’ve learned that hard work pays off, but nothing is perfect on the first try. I also learned not to be discouraged and to learn from every application. Take every opportunity and put yourself out there.”
What are your tips for people looking to follow in your footsteps?
“The best advice I can give is to take the time to do detailed research into the role and the firm you are applying for. Having a good understanding of the role you’re applying for is vital in order to know which skills are required for the job, so that you can then tailor your application to demonstrate those skills.
You need to show motivation to join that firm specifically, and part of expressing that is understanding what makes them different. This is a mistake I made in my first round of applications; my answers needed to be more specific, and I thought that just reading the website would let me know different firms in detail.”
Tell us about the future. What’s next?
“I’m on a gap year before starting the LLM SQE course at the University of Law in 2025, and I’m hoping to do some travelling during this time. I'm really excited to start my course, meet my trainee cohort, and join Clifford Chance in 2026.”
Find insight schemes, graduate jobs, training contracts and more at Bright Network.
